Ben Zobrist ran out toward right field in pink New Balance cleats on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Zobrist saluted the bleacher bums before first pitch against the White Sox at 1:20 p.m. A WGN camera zoomed in on Zobrist’s lower legs covered in pink-and-black striped socks — no black shoes — during his leadoff at-bat against Lucas Giolito.

Major League Baseball’s Mother’s Day promotions created a ceasefire between Zobrist and commissioner Rob Manfred’s office. The day before, Zobrist posted an open letter and a collage of photos on an Instagram account that has 306,000 followers and sent it out again to his 200,000 followers on Twitter, guaranteeing it would go viral.

This might say more about the state of play in 2018 than anything that happened on the field during this crosstown weekend. Zobrist shared a warning letter from Manfred’s office dated May 11 that threatened “further discipline, including discipline of a fine” if he doesn’t wear...